


Love Along the Way

by LazuliTheMirrorGem (orphan_account)



Series: What the Universe Intended [4]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Arranged Marriage, F/F, Hate to Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-23
Updated: 2017-08-23
Packaged: 2018-12-17 14:31:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11853540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/LazuliTheMirrorGem
Summary: Neither Lapis nor Peridot is particularly happy with the situation - but what choice do they have? Their kingdoms are falling apart, their subjects are victim to poverty, and they have mothers who always get their way.In a desperate attempt to rebuild the communities to their former glory, Queens Caela Bleu and  Zeledonia Xanthe arrange a marriage between their eldest daughters.The question is: Can Peridot Xanthe and Lapis Bleu survive each other long enough to fix anything?And, more importantly...Can they do it without accidentally falling in love along the way?





	Love Along the Way

**Author's Note:**

> Name Key  
> Orla "Peridot" Xanthe - Peridot  
> Leilani "Lapis" Bleu - Lapis  
> Caela Bleu - Blue Diamond  
> Zeledonia Xanthe - Yellow Diamond  
> Annali Bleu - Blue Pearl  
> Yvette Xanthe - Yellow Pearl  
> Sapphire Bleu - Sapphire  
> Rubiella "Ruby" Karmen - Ruby

Leilani "Lapis" Bleu swallowed her fears with a pained expression on her pale, fair face. The stylist behind her hummed in disapproval.

"Princess," he said in his oily voice, "don't look so frightened. You're ruining your make-up - and isn't it too lovely to ruin?" The stylist crossed his arms and admired her beautiful black hair as the soft morning sun lit up the cathedral. "Shall we put it up in a bun? Braid it?"

"Cut it," Lapis said slowly. She had thought all night long about how she would wear her long black hair for the (arranged) wedding - her mother wanted her to marry the little narcissistic spoiled brat from Zeledonia Xanthe's kingdom, Peridot. Lapis did  _not_ want to marry her, not in a decade, not in a century, not in a  _millennia._ As a form of submissive rebellion, Lapis had finally decided that she would cut her hair. She would demand the stylist to chop it off until it barely reached her shoulder blades.

She suppressed an anxious grin as she imagined the look on her mother's face when her daughter pranced down the aisle with hair the length of a man's! 

"CUT it?! Are you insane?" The stylist whisper-shouted. "I can't cut it! Gods, what are you thinking?"

"I said cut it off. Up to the shoulder blade." Lapis felt a slight surge of confidence, and she lifted her head. "I demand it as your future queen."

The stylist, visibly sweating, paled. "B-but-"

"Need I repeat myself?" Lapis hoped she hadn't gone too far. Sometimes the subjects needed a bit of a push, but she didn't want to seem unjust. Her statement wasn't just a bluff - Caela was an old queen, and Lapis was first in line for the throne. It was highly likely - definite, actually - that she would outlive her mother. Her sisters would outlive her, and their children would outlive them.

That was one thing about this marriage that Lapis was actually grateful for - she would not be forced to bare children, and neither would her wife. 

Lapis was not fond of men, herself - they smelled of sweat and work and pine trees, and she had never met a decent one (besides her father), much less one that she would think to marry. Then again, it wasn't her choice, was it?

The stylist cleared his throat and nodded slowly. "Are you sure, Princess?" Poor guy. He looked mortified, as if Caela Bleu would decapitate a man for giving her daughter a poor haircut. Lapis highly doubted it, but then again, her mother was unpredictable. Maybe she should wait for the real wedding. The wedding rehearsal was not so important.

She opened her eyes and crossed her legs, hands lying still in her lap. "Hmm. I suppose you may put it up in a bun for tonight," she said, fighting to keep her voice steady, "but on the wedding day, you _will_ be cutting it."

He nodded frantically.

Lapis masked an amused smile at his lousily-hidden sigh of relief.

* * *

 Peridot shuffled about, adjusting this, fixing that, working here, milling about there. She needed occupation, something to distract her from her terror. 

She was marrying a complete stranger, an obnoxious, good-looking, royal stranger who also just happened to be a girl.

Nevermind that she had  _met_ Leilani Bleu - she could spend the rest of her life with that woman and never truly know her. Lapis would forever be a stranger to Peridot Xanthe. Gods, this wedding would be the death of her.

"Orla!" Squeaked Yvette, her absolutely annoying little sister who acted like it was  _she_ who was next in line for the throne instead of Peridot. She babbled incessantly about what she would do better than her mother, and more specifically, what she would do better than Peridot.

It was obvious that Zeledonia favored Yvette over her eldest daughter, but the Xanthes remained highly traditional in their ceremonies - the coronation crown would only go to the eldest of the time. 

Peridot had  _thought_ she would be arranged into a heterosexual marriage -  ** _with a man._**

In a way, this was sort of... better?

By no means was Peridot straight. She must have been the most queer woman on the face of the Earth.

Still, she had  _standards._ Lapis did not fit those standards - er, minus the abnormally good-looking part. It broke tradition for her to marry another woman, anyway, and she refused to feel anything for Lapis aside from minor attraction.

The queens only had daughters - try as they might, they were never granted a son. If they had ever bore a male child, Peridot's life would be a lot different. Then again, so would Lapis's.

There was one living (former) royal male - Peridot's father. The man was a traveler of sorts, and was highly unfit to be a king. It was because of this that Zeledonia Xanthe had kept him from his daughters, and Peridot had never had a father figure in her life.

Hell, she'd barely had a mother.

" _Orla,"_ Yvette reiterated with a roll of her eyes.

At least her situation was somewhat bearable, though. She'd heard rumors flying of Lapis's family life - how her father was executed for treason, how her mother would lock herself away, shut her daughters out.

Peridot knew that her mother's snappiness and cruelness were nothing to be grateful for, but she would rather have that than nothing at all...

Wouldn't she?

" _ **Orla!**_ " exclaimed Yvette, her voice growing ever exasperated. "Wakey-wakey. Stop dilly-dallying and get to the cathedral. The wedding rehearsal is beginning in just a moment."

"Yvette, how many times must I tell you that my name is Peridot?"

"Mother named you Orla." Yvette lifted her head snottily. "I'm only interested in following Mother's wishes." The younger princess put a hand on her hip and examined her dress. "This is awfully bland, _Orla_. Did you choose it?"

Peridot fought back a growl. "You did, Yvette."

"Nonsense! I wouldn't choose something so ugly! By the way, shouldn't you be in your _suit_ by now?" Yvette giggled and pranced away before Peridot could fire back.

She glanced down and cursed. She hated it when Yvette was actually right.

Rushing to her bedrooms, Peridot Xanthe wondered which would kill her first - Yvette or the wedding arrangement?

* * *

After the rehearsal, of course, came the rehearsal dinner. 

Lapis had attended a minimal number of weddings, but she knew enough about them to understand that the dinner was the best part. The rehearsal itself had gone smoothly enough, though it was rather boring. The Xanthes were all bland and blond and uninteresting. The only thing that had amused her the entire time was Peridot in a suit.

As much as she hated the idea of kissing the little narcissist, the kiss would be the highlight of the real wedding ceremony. Peridot was short, clumsy, and was too dignified for her own good.

There was no way Lapis was bending down.

Peridot would just have to jump.

Biting back a chuckle, Lapis took another bite of stuffed capon and leaned back in her chair. The real wedding was in a week, and that week would be full of preparations and shouting and fussing over the bride.

How  _utterly_ delightful!

Peridot fidgeted beside her and cleared her throat to speak. Their table paused its gentle chatter to peer down curiously and attentively at the princess.

"I am very happy to be here today with the lovely Leilani."

Ah, of course. The heavily rehearsed dinner table speech. Lapis rolled her eyes.

"It is such an honor to be marrying Her Majesty Caela's eldest daughter - never did I expect such an event. I always knew I would marry someone of class and rank - a noble man from across the continent, perhaps - but I have been graced with Princess Leilani's hand. Together, we will unite the kingdoms of Xanthe and Bleu to form a new and successful society in which all of you will be able to live a new life - a life of prosperity and achieved dreams and goals."

Polite clapping filled the silence.

"I thank my mother, Queen Zeledonia Xanthe, for allowing this to happen - and, of course, Queen Caela Bleu. May they be as joyful as we are for this celebration." Peridot grabbed Lapis's hand and raised it high.

"To Orla and Leilani!" Cheered a man from the back of the table, sipping from his overflowing glass of ale.

"To Orla and Leilani!"

Peridot dropped her hand as if it were burning through her flesh, and the hall resumed feasting.

Lapis sighed and clinked glasses with her soon-to-be-wife.

Hopefully this ale wasn't watered down.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Another work, another day. This is my fourth multi-chapter work, and you might have noticed the lack of updates to the others. Yeahh... Marching band. All I gotta say. It takes up a great deal of my time, but I love it. I will definitely have more time to write when the season ends, but for now, expect weekend updates every now and then <3


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